My Darling Panthera
by BlackRain88
Summary: Harry is saved by the Dursleys' abuse from a beautiful Panthera named Cole. Cole has vowed to protect his new Master at all costs, and becomes Harry's new pet. SLASH
1. Master?

Disclaimer: I don't freaking own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction and all the characters would be gay, not just Dumbledore.

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Cole was, at the moment, a very eager pure bred-and-born Panthera. Currently, he was wildly pacing a common park in his brilliant panther form. His slit pupils dilated as he lifted his nose to once again catch the scent of his soon-to-be-master. For as long as could remember, Cole had been searching for a worthy creature wealthy and strong enough to not only take care of him, but pamper him as he deserved to be pampered. As a child he had seen his mother under the care of some lazy pureblood that refused to treat her as she deserved to be treated. The bastard had simply used his mother as a plaything in human form and locked her in a cage for the duration of her life. The wizard of course, had gotten his mother pregnant, and the wizard only let the boy stay until he was old enough to fend for his own, than disposed of him. His mother was, of course, outraged, but could do nothing to hurt her master. Cole would not make the same mistake. He would pick a GOOD wizard to call his master. Some one that smelled of sympathy for magical beings and great respect for a kind like his.

Cole knew that a Panthera, especially a BORN Panthera, was a rare breed. He deserved a good master, a good, pure, beautifully handsome master to love and respect him. He wanted a worthy master to protect and serve, a master he would have no problem bowing and giving his life to. He had been searching for a master like this his entire life, ever since he had been disposed of. Panthera can sense the magic of witches and wizards to determine their strength and personality. Not a single wizard had met his expectations by scent, except one. The day Cole had sensed that lucky-wizard was the best day of Coles' life. He smelled unbelievably powerful, though young, loving, caring, honest, and most of all, loyal.

Cole remembered the first day he wondered hidden across muggle London, and smelled him. The smell of this boy, aged 11, the same age as him, was intoxicating. He could barely control himself and bolted to reach him in his human form. Oh, he smelled so lovely. Alas, he barely caught a glimpse of the boy as he rounded a corner and followed a half-giant into The Leaky Cauldron. Not wanting to be seen by other fowl-smelling wizards before belonging with his newly-chosen master, he fell back and waited for the hours it took for the boy to re-emerge. He saw him then, beautiful, just like his smell, but polluted with the stench of neglect. He felt sympathy for the other boy, in clothes several sizes too large for him and a look of longing on his face. At first, the young Panthera was afraid the boy could not afford the pampering he required towards a master, but after smelling him some more; he discovered the boy was wealthy, but his wealth had been hidden from him until recently and his caretakers neglected him beyond reason. Yes, the boy would be his master, the decision was made.

Unfortunately, he discovered that a creature as dark as him could approach his living quarters due to some type of wards around the so-called-home. He would not be able to near the place, he sensed, unless the boy was close to death or gravely injured. Cole would have approached him outside of the wards, but he only ever went there flanked by hidden spies. Aurors, his senses told him. These people were supposed to protect the boy, yet they allowed his master to be abused day after day for years. Cole could not approach his master, for these beings would never allow a creature such as him to bond with the boy. How was he to ask his master to have him if he could not even approach him? Cole was not stupid. He knew that these beings could easily feel the magic dripping off of him even if he hid his ears and tail in his human form. He would have followed the boy to school from a distance, but the train and castle held the same type of wards that didn't allow a creature such as him near them until his master took him into his care. The only thing Cole could do was watch his master grow through the years, becoming even more beautiful, beaten, and neglected. This summer, Cole smelled grief from his sweet master. Some one very close to the boy was no longer with him, deceased. Cole yearned to comfort his master, but didn't know how. All he did know was that his caretakers had upped the beatings on his precious master. They were now so severe, the boy stopped coming to the park, which never happened.

This led Cole to his current position. The park was where the wards kept him as long as his master wasn't critically injured, but they were weakening now by the minute. Soon, they would fall to allow a creature with his healing ability to enter his residence. He felt happy and tormented at the same time. He would finally meet his master, but to what cost? He only hoped to heal his master in time. He snarled as the wards finally fell and fled down the various streets and houses to follow the scent of his precious master. Soon, he stopped, and found the residence, the living quarters of his chosen, number 4 Privet Drive. He stopped for a moment to feel triumph before thudding at the door with his tail. A fat ugly man opened the door and shrieked at the very angry-looking panther with glowing yellow eyes. The lard tried to slam the door in his face, but he pounced on him before he got the chance.

He glanced down for a moment at his prey. Oh, how he longed to devour the man who hurt his beloved master, but there was no time. He leaped off the man instead and bounded up the stairs and found the door to his masters' room. He easily broke through the door with his body-weight and fearsome claws and raced to the gruesome sight before him. His dear master was on the floor, beaten, bruised, and bleeding everywhere. Open cuts littered his angelic body. He raced to his masters' side and quickly began lapping the cuts with his tongue, healing them. He first healed the gashes on his neck and face, except for the one on his forehead, and then shifted to his more human form to remove his already torn and blood-soaked clothes to heal the ones on his chest, arms, and legs. Then he turned his master around to heal the cuts on his back. He not only healed open wounds, but also many broken bones, including his ribs, and internal bleeding. After his work was done, he sighed contently and savored the lingering taste of his masters' blood on his tongue. The blood he consumed created a bond between him and his master, allowing him to vanish his tail and change his ears to human ones. He smiled at the change and shifted to his panther form once again to chase the idiot humans from his masters' residence. There were three. He would have killed them, but his main concern was to watch his master until he awoke. He shifted back to his now completely-human form and cuddled his master dearly and watched his sleeping form. After a time, he left to prepare his master a meal.

Harry pushed himself off of the floor, surprised when he felt no pain for the first time in months to move. He looked at his arms and found them absent of open wounds and scars. Confusion filled his mind. He clearly remembered his uncle coming into his room to beat him. This time, Harry thought, he had finally gone too far. After his uncle slashed, punched, and kicked his body for hours, he left the boy bleeding to death. For all intents and purposes, Harry should be dead. Yet here he was, completely healed in his room at the Dursleys. The floor was stained with blood, proving the beating wasn't a dream. He looked down at his chest to find it absent of injuries as well. This was when he realized he was completely naked. Harry blushed fiercely, wondering how that happened. Suddenly, he heard someone at the door and tensed up. Was it his uncle? If so, he would be furious to come back and find Harry lying there perfectly fine and absent of his injuries. Uncle Vernon would kill him for sure.

Instead of his uncle, a boy his age walked through the door, carrying a plate of bacon and eggs with him. Harry gaped at him with his mouth hanging open. The boy had silky black hair curled around and perfectly framed his bright golden eyes, the pupils slit like a cats'. He was pretty short for a boy, about 5'4, a few inches shorter then Harry. His form, Harry noticed, was beautiful. His body had elegant curves and Harry could see well defined muscles through his tight black shirt on his small form. He walked over to him gracefully, like a cat, and bent down to smile at Harry with adoring eyes. Harry stared at the boy as he handed him the plate of bacon and eggs with a fork and knife.

"Hello Master. I'm glad to see you are awake." The boy smiled at him, his eyes shining. "I made you something to eat."

Harry took the plate and stared at him. "Wh-who are you?"

The boy blushed, embarrassed. "Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself. I am so sorry master. Please forgive me. My name is Cole."

"Wh-what are you doing here? Where's the Dursleys?" Harry already figured they were no longer in the house. If they were, the boy would probably not even be there.

Coles' eyes darkened and he growled. Harry scooted back from him in fear. Seeing the fearful look on Harry's face, he stopped growling and offered Harry a reassuring smile. "Those disgusting care takers? I chased them away. I would have killed them, eaten them, but I was more worried about you Master."

Harry's eyes widened. "K-kill? Eat? How did you get them out anyway?"

Cole smacked his forehead. "Oh, I forgot you didn't know. Stupid me, I should have sensed it. I'm a Panthera."

"A what?"

Cole sniffed the air, an odd thing to do, and seemed to realize something. "You don't know what that is… Hmmm, Well Master, I'm a magical creature of a sort. I have healing powers amongst other powers, as you can see I healed you, and I'm half panther. I can change into a panther at will. " Cole smiled at Harry and sat next to him.

"Oh…" Harry figured he would have to ask Hermione to get more information about it. "Why are you calling me Master?"

"I would very much like you to be my Master, if you'd let me." Cole gave him a hopeful look. "Please?"

Harry looked at him, confused. "Why can't you just be, you know, free?"

"Pantheras need Masters, they take care of us. I would like for you to take care of me Master." Cole tried to convince Harry to take him. "It's a great honor to have a Panthera as a pet. Really it is. You see Master; we are a very rare breed, especially us born ones. I can also protect you. I promise to stay by your side and be very loyal. I won't let anyone hurt you. All I ask for in return is for you to take care of me, provide me with food, shelter, and hopefully a place to sleep, preferably your bed. If I can't sleep in your bed, at least provide me something nice to sleep in, definitely not a cage."

Harry looked shocked. "Um… I guess so."

Cole squealed with happiness and threw himself into Harry's arms. "THANKYOU MASTER! I promise you won't regret it." Cole turned his hug into a cuddle and Harry was shocked to find that when Cole hugged him, he didn't flinch as he would have done with anything else. He did feel a little awkward though. Especially when Cole stared cuddling him like a teddy bear purring. After a minute, he withdrew from Harry's arms. "Now, I gave you food for a reason, eat."

Harry realized that Cole had given him food before and started eating gratefully. "Thank you very much Cole, It's delicious." Cole beamed at him and crawled behind him to wrap his arms around Harry's waste and rest his head on his shoulder while Harry ate, causing him to feel very awkward. After he finished eating, Cole got him a glass of orange juice. Harry drank it gratefully.

"Now, with your hideous caretakers out of the way, let's leave this place. No one will stop you now with me by your side."

"Are you sure about that?" Harry asked.

"Yes of course, do you have a place in mind?"

"Well, I can check Gringots to find out if I inherited any estates from my parents. I'm sure they must have left something. I just never got to look into it before; I've always had to stay here."

"Alright then, let's go, those Auror people won't get in your way. I don't think they are even here at the moment. They didn't react to my entrance."

"Aurors have been watching me house?"

"Yes, they follow you whenever you leave, invisible to you. I've seen them follow you to the park. That's why I couldn't approach you before now."

"Okay fine, let's get out of this hellhole."

Harry got up and wrote a quick letter to Hermione, telling him he was leaving and telling her he had a Panthera, asking her exactly what that meant. He tied the letter to Hedwig's foot, telling her he wouldn't be back, and sent her off. He got his things from under the loose floorboard in his room, grabbed Hedwig's cage, broke into the cupboard under the stairs, gathering his trunk, which Cole insisted on carrying for him, and left for The Leaky Cauldron on the knight bus.


	2. Hermione's Explosion and Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: My name is not J. K Rowling and the Harry Potter characters aren't gay. Albus, Severus, Sirius, Remus, and Fred are all dead. These things would not be true if I owned Harry Potter.

Thanks for the reviews. Here's chapter 2 of My Darling Panthera:

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Harry exited the bank and caught a glimpse of his best friend, Hermione Granger. He caught her eye and waved. Immediately, he regretted it, seeing the look on her face turn to one of intense fury. As she headed towards him with that angry look, he bolted, leaving Cole standing there confused. He sensed a friend of Harry's, or well, the girl should be a friend, but dripped of animosity at the moment. The two atmospheres batted each other and left him standing there, stunned. In this state, they disappeared from his view. After realizing that he just lost his Master, his eyes widened and he too ran. In the mean time a far distance away, Hermione had Harry cornered.

"YOU HAVE A WHAT?!" Hermione screamed.

"A-a Panthera?" Harry stuttered, looking like a dear in headlights.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO THE POOR THING?" Hermione shouted, before going into full lecture mode. "Panthera are human, don't you realize that? They have lives too. There was no need to enslave the poor dear to your unending servitude. Why did you do it?! For sex?! I realize that you want a partner that will never leave you Harry, but taking a Panthera into your care was OUT OF LINE! I can't BELIEVE you would-"

"SEX?!" Harry squealed. "Hermione, what on earth makes you say that?"

Hermione stared at him, shocked. "Don't you know that owning a Panthera will ultimately result in the two of you mating?"

"WHAT!?" Harry shouted. "Hermione, I don't even know what a Panthera IS, other than the brief description that Cole gave me yesterday."

The look on Hermione's face softened a little. "Pantheras are an ancient race. These half-human, half-panthers are born with healing and offensive powers to protect themselves and their mate. A Panthera is a very loyal being, sticking by their mates' side and defending them at all costs. They were known to bond with powerful wizards and were seen as..." Hermione scrunched her face in disgust. "pets… I suppose it wasn't QUITE so bad back in that time, for they were prized and treated very well. Those traditions are sadly gone, and now the sweet creatures, or what is left of the dying race, are used simply as amusements-"

"Get to the sex part!" Harry urged her.

Hermione sent him a fierce glare, before doing as he asked. "When a Panthera bonds to a wizard, they are ultimately attracted to said wizard. In fact, they would not bond with the wizard unless there was already an intense attraction. The initial bond is their way of choosing the mate forever closing off other potential partners." Here Hermione seems to get the murderous look back in her eyes as she glared at him. "The Panthera can never be with anyone else once he or she chooses a 'Master'. Now, when a wizard gains a Panthera, they often see this as being able to sleep with whoever they want, not having to worry about the Panthera leaving them. It's disgusting."

"But Hermione, I had no idea. I didn't plan on mating with him. He was just begging me after he saved my life and I agreed to take care of him. Honestly, I didn't mean anything by it."

Hermione sighed, realizing it wasn't entirely Harry's fault and lessened her glare. "You better take care of him Harry. The Dursleys is no suitable place to take care of a Panthera."

"I'm not going back to the Dursleys Hermione. They abused me for too long. I almost died last night. If it hadn't been for Cole rushing in to save me…"

Hermione suddenly lost her glare entirely and her eyes started watering. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize-"

"It's okay Hermione." Harry sighed, relieved that Hermione didn't look like she wanted to kill him anymore. Hermione ran the short distance towards him and Harry's eyes widened. Did she decide to kill him after all? He closed his eyes, thinking he was about to die, but instead found his arms full of sobbing bushy-haired girl. After overcoming his shock, he comforted his friend and returned her hug. "Now, can you tell me about this whole mating thing? I don't want Cole to er… rape me in my sleep or anything."

Hermione stopped crying and answered his question, withdrawing from the hug and rubbing her still-red eyes. "Oh don't worry about that, he won't try anything unless you want him to. He'll just be your friend until you are ready for more. Hopefully you will eventually want to be with him."

"Errr… Honestly, I have no idea if he's attracted to me. He's good looking and all I suppose, but I don't want to mate with a stranger, you know? I have to wait until I'm sure we both feel something before making that kind of commitment."

Hermione sighed. "Well, that's good enough I suppose. So, where are you going to live now that you aren't with the Dursleys?"

Harry grinned and held up a piece of paper. "I'm bringing Cole to live with me at the Potter Mansion. Apparently, the house on Godrics hollow was only there so that my parents could hide from Voldemort. They wanted to go somewhere smaller to hide. You and the Weasleys can come and stay for the summer if you'd like. I'd love the company."

"I'd love to stay with you!" Hermione squealed before throwing herself at Harry again in excitement. When she withdrew from him, she gave Harry a stern look. "If there are house-elves…"

"I'll pay them whatever they want and give them proper clothes and living arrangements, I promise."

Hermione nodded, and just then Cole came stumbling into view, and Harry realized with a drop of his stomach that he had left his new friend-pet-whatever. His angelic face was red from running and he panted his golden eyes wide and eager.

"Master,… are you… okay?" He growled at Hermione. "Is she hurting you?"

"No Cole, she's fine. Hermione and I were just… having a discussion."

Cole looked confused. "Then… why did she feel… so angry at you?"

"Oh, just a simple matter really. She's going to stay with us. Anyway, maybe she would like to join us shopping for you?"

Cole squealed in delight, his eyes lighting up. "You're taking me shopping already?"

Harry smiled. "Yup."

Cole threw himself at Harry. "Thank you Master. Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Harry laughed as Cole tugged on Harry's hand to drag him until he realized he had no idea where they were going. "Um, where are we going Master?"

Hermione smiled. "I know of a place we can go first to pick up some pet things first to get some toys and things…"

"LET'S GO!" Cole shouted happily.

Hermione led the way to a place called "Finest Products for Rare and Unique Pets". Harry and Hermione spilt up, looking for things Cole might like. Cole glued himself to Harry's arm and begged him for a collar he saw in a window. Harry called the store clerk over and asked to purchase the fancy black dragon-hide collar and asked for Coles name to be written on it in diamonds, which Cole loved and proceeded to cuddle Harry to death while the clerk told him it would be ready in ten minutes. Harry then went to Hermione, who pointed out a gigantic playground made of fancy cat houses filled with soft pillows and blankets. It also had what looked like a children's playhouse, with tubes to crawl through, nets, a slide, and a room with those plastic balls kids loved. Harry immediately added it to his purchase by speaking with the store clerk, causing Cole to cry with happiness. Harry looked around and bought a couple of other fancy things for Cole before returning to the store clerk and signing his name to transfer the money from his bank account. He then asked the store clerk a question.

"Do Pantheras need anything special for their diet?"

"Well," the store clerk said. "They prefer meats like steak and such as well as any sea food. Other than that, they can eat anything really. They also enjoy sweet things, such as cake and ice cream, like anyone really."

"Okay, thank you."

Harry left the store and carried his items in bags. The playground came in a small box, ready to be enlarged upon opening with a simple spell, as did the other large things he bought. He sat down with Hermione and Cole and ordered ice cream for all three of them, fastening the collar around Cole's neck. Cole hugged him and purred.

"Feed me Master!" he ordered, handing Harry his spoon.

"Um… okay." Harry blushed and spooned some ice cream for Cole and fed it to him. Cole took a long time savoring the treat and licked the spoon clean.

"AWWWWWWWWW!" Hermione squealed. "That's SO CUTE!"

Harry blushed even more before continuing to feed Cole his ice cream.

"Now I'm going to feed you!" he announced after he finished eating, taking Harry's spoon and holding out a spoonful of ice cream to Harry's mouth.

"No no, it's really not necessary." Harry replied blushing.

"Oh, but I insist." Cole said determined.

Harry gave up and ate the offered ice cream, feeling very awkward as Cole kept talking.

"You know, this is the longest time I've had a reason to stay in my human form."

"Uh… that's good I guess…" Harry said before another spoon of ice cream was shoved into his mouth.

"Mmmhmm." Cole said smiling.

After that, Harry and Hermione went grocery shopping, picking up several steaks, poultry, and all kinds of seafood. It took a lot of persuasion for Cole to not eat the food right out of the bag. After that, Harry said goodbye to Hermione as she promised to visit her after she got her parents' permission and Harry and Cole flooed to The Potter Mansion.


	3. The Mansion

Hello everyone, and sorry for the wait. it's kind of short, but at least i finally updated! -dodges flying rotten tomatoes thrown at me- I'm sorry! WRITERS BLOCK! I still kinda have it. I have no idea where to go from here, hehe... DON'T KILL ME! I have a plot, kinda. it's just the spaces I need to fill in...

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Harry Potter or this wouldn't be called FANFICTION!

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Harry looked around the mansion for the first time with a smile on his face. It was beautiful, and best of all, it was his. Cole peeked over his shoulder to look at the place and squealed in delight. Harry turned around and smiled at him. Then he set to work.

He called the house elves and asked them how much they wanted to be paid. They simply stared at him with defiance in their big watery eyes. After much arguing on the part of the elves (they didn't want to be paid at all, go figure) they settled for 11 galleons a day. Harry could more than afford to pay for their salary. Some of the elves still refused to be paid at all though, and Harry let them reluctantly.

He then asked them to give him a tour of the house. There was a lovely ballroom, 12 bedrooms, three dining rooms, a theatre, a massive library, and several other various rooms. Each bedroom had its' own lovely bathroom, so everyone could wash without much fighting or a huge line for washing. Harry smiled at that, glad that he wouldn't have to wait in line for a bathroom when his friends came over.

The dining rooms seemed to be set for different amounts of people. The first one was a small, cozy place with a fireplace cackling in the background. The walls were a light tan in the dim light and in the center of the room stood a small, square, dark brown wooden table with four comfy looking brown wooden, cushioned chairs at each side. The nest room could have also been a place for meetings as well as dinner, and was clearly made for a larger crowd. It had a long, rectangular wooden table in the center of it and light brown walls. All around the walls burned lit torches to light up the room as well as the normal lights. The last dining room was the biggest of them all and was rather close to the ballroom. It was a large, white room with a white tiled floor. Round glass tables of various sizes scattered about the room and at the back of the room there was a raised platform and a rectangular table big enough to seat about 12 people.

Harry found a room that would be perfect for Coles' playroom and he set up the toys and playhouse in it. His mansion of course has working house elves, so the ministry would be unable to tell the difference if he did any magic or not, not to mention, the mansion also blocked magic so that the ministry would be unable to detect spells, so it was safe for Harry to use magic.

Harry turned around and realized that Cole wasn't by his side. He was probably exploring, or so he told himself. He went back up to his master bedroom and found Cole curled up on his humongous bed nuzzling his invisibility cloak and sniffing it as he rubbed it against his face. Harry's trunk lay open at the opposite side of the room. Harry smiled at the sight. Cole looked so cute curled up like that, his thick black eyelashes resting against porcelain-like skin as the boy closed his eyes. Cole, making a decision, placed the cloak in his mouth and crawled under the green silk blanket and sheets, disappearing under the covers. This action was so cute to Harry that he had to fight the urge to hug him. He almost lost the inward battle when he saw Cole's head peak back out from under the blanket and cuddle the invisibility cloak close to him like a teddy bear. Harry only barely refrained from glomping Cole and spoke.

"You are just too cute to be legal," he joked. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop him and as soon as he heard what he said, he slapped himself for being stupid. He didn't want to rush into anything with Cole and therefore, shouldn't say anything like that until he was sure of his feelings for the panthera.

Coles head snapped up and he opened his eyes in surprise and delight, his big golden eyes euphoric. "MASTER! I didn't realize you were there…" He blushed fiercely at the compliment and smiled at Harry shyly. "Do you really think I'm cute?" he asked with the happiest, cutest, most hopeful look on his face.

Harry just blushed and nodded, keeping his hands over his mouth, not trusting himself to say anything else.

Cole got so excited that his tail appeared, showing it to Harry for the first time. Until then he had been calm enough to remain completely human. "Want to come in bed and cuddle with me?" He asked shyly, lifting the blanket to allow Harry access.

"Um, I don't know…" Harry said, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"Pleeeaaase?" Cole asked, begging him with his eyes.

Harry couldn't say no to that adorable look and slid under the covers next to Cole. The panthera immediately curled up to him, wrapping his tail around Harry's waist and purred, nuzzling his shoulder. Harry bit back an "awwww" at the cute display. Cole purred even louder and snaked his arms around Harry's waist to get closer to his Master and nuzzled his chest.

Harry was a little worried Cole would try something; it was still way too early for him to mate or even date Cole, but he couldn't help the wave of adoration that came over him. He liked cuddling with Cole, and wrapped an arm around him. Cole seemed to love this and purred even louder. Harry once again bit back an 'aww' and stared at Coles delighted face. His eyes were squeezed shut and his face was perfectly content. He was adorable if nothing else, very adorable.

"You… are… so… cute!" Harry muttered. Cole opened his eyes, smiling brilliantly at him and kissed his cheek before going back to cuddling him. Harry laughed nervously as he felt butterflies flap around in his stomach.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Harry and Cole jumped at the sound. It was Hermione, standing at the doorway.

"You two look so cute together," she gushed.

Harry blushed again while Cole wagged his panther tail back and forth in the air, purring.

"Nice to see you too Hermione," Harry said, smiling and trying to hide his blush.

"Nice to see you too Harry, and you as well Cole." She nodded to Cole. "So, would you like me to write a letter to the Weasleys and invite them since you are… busy?" She winked at him.

"I'll write it…" Harry said and got up from the bed. Cole pouted and snuggled the blankets closer to him, missing Harry's' body heat.

"So," Harry said to Hermione, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You got permission awful fast."

"Yup, but I wouldn't have come if I realized you were… busy." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"We weren't… doing anything if that's what you mean."

They left the room and left Cole to cuddle his blankets.

"Why not? I mean, it's not like you don't think he's cute. I can see it in your face."

"Hermione. You know I don't want to be with someone for physical attractions alone… I want to get to know him first."

"But you two are going to end up together anyway."

"There is no need to rush things Hermione…"

Hermione walked next to him in silence for a while before smiling. "I'm proud of you Harry."

"Uh… thanks." Hermione was really unpredictable sometimes. "Why don't you entertain Cole while I write a letter to invite the Weasleys? You can take him to his playroom if you want. He'll probably have a lot fun in there."

"What am I, a baby sitter?"

"Cole's no baby."

"No, he certainly isn't."

"Come on Hermione, you like cats. Can you please just watch him for a few minutes?

"Oh, alright. I was only teasing you…"

"Thankyou."

"Are you going to tell them about Cole?"

"Well, I suppose I'll have to eventually."

"No, I mean in the letter."

"Do you think I should?" Harry asked.

"It might be a good idea to explain to them that you have a panthera before they come over to help minimize the shock."

Harry frowned. "What if they decide they think I'm a freak because of this and don't come?"

Hermione frowned. "They wouldn't think you were a freak Harry. Owning a panthera is considered an honor. If anything, they would be jealous."

Harry slapped his forehead. "Oh great, I hope Ron doesn't get jealous and refuse to talk to me like he did in forth year.

"I don't think he will, and if he does, then he was never really a good friend anyway and you're better off without him."

Harry sighed. "I guess you're right."

Hermione left to take Harry to the playroom and Harry sat down to write a letter to Ron;

_Ron_

_I was wondering if you guys would like to join me here at my mansion. Yup, I have a real mansion. I just inherited it now. Tell your parents they can come too. And hey, guess what? I got a panthera. His name is Cole and he saved me from the Dursleys… I'll explain what happened when you get here._

_Looking forward to hearing from you,_

_Your Best Mate Harry._


	4. Ron's Reply

HOLY SHIT I UPDATED! I reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hope I get a bunch of reviews from this one, I had to beat it out. I apreciate all of your reviews and I hope you review it more ;D. It really helps speed things along. Sorry I haven't updated folks, I got caught up in some other fanfic ideas... Supernatural rocks!

Thanks to DracoStarbo and you should all thank her too, she's partly why I'm updating.

Reviews encourage me. ;)

Enjoy!

Oh and Disclaimer: Uh... Harry Potter isn't mine, but Cole is! And you all love Cole, right? :D

I love you all!

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_Hey Harry,_

_You have a _Panthera?!_ Are you serious? How the bloody hell did that happen? Bloody hell Harry, I didn't even think they existed anymore! I always assumed they either died out or were just fairy tales. No one's seen one in… I don't know how long! I can't wait to see it! I _can_ see it, right? Mum thinks you're kidding about the whole thing. I'm coming over tomorrow, so get ready!_

_Your best mate,_

_Ron_

Harry read the letter and sighed in relief, petting Hedwig with gratitude as if she were partly responsible for the positive response from Ron. Hermione snuck up behind him and spoke.

"So, is that Ron's' reply?" she asked.

Harry jumped and fell out of his chair, Hermione's sudden appearance startling him. Harry yelped and closed his eyes, holding his hands out in front of him, preparing for the unwanted sexual harassment of the tiled floor touching his entire frontal region and the possible smashing of his glasses but it never came… Harry opened his eyes and blinked, finding his glasses slightly askew on his face and himself hovering inches before the floor. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why his lips weren't being thoroughly ravaged by the glassy feeling of tile, when he felt the arms around him, preventing the nonconsensual encounter. Those arms turned him around and brought him to meet the face of his savior.

Worried golden eyes peered into his own before scanning his face and body for injuries. "Are you alright Master?" Cole asked in a worried voice.

"You have _very_ fast reflexes," Harry said, blinking at him.

Cole blushed at the comment and brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen in front of his face. "Thank you Master," he said with an all-too-grateful smile. Harry frowned, wondering how it was possible for such a small statement to make anyone so happy. Seeing Harry's frown, Coles face instantly lit up with concern. "Is something wrong Master? Did I say or do something wrong? Are you hurt?!"

"No no no," Harry quickly reassured him. "Calm down, I'm fine, really. Uh… why don't you… go off and play?"

Cole seemed to ignore him and sniffed him as if that was one of the ways he could check for injuries. Finally, after he seemed satisfied, he spoke. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I'm fine…"

Cole nodded to himself and, picking Harry up with both arms, gently placed him back in his chair and sweetly kissed Harry on the cheek before running off to play. Harry watched him go and adjusted his slightly askew glasses, smiling lightly. Hermione squealed in delight and Harry, forgetting he was there, almost fell off the chair a second time. Thankfully he didn't and instead whipped around to face her.

"Hermione! Don't scare me like that!"

The aforementioned girl rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "Oh don't be ridiculous, it's just me."

"You snuck up on me and nearly shouted, and then you squealed in my ear!"

"Oh," Hermione said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Get over it. Anyway, what did the letter say?"

"Letter?" Harry asked, confused. "What letter?"

"The letter that Hedwig delivered to you not five minutes ago?"

"Ohhhh," Harry said, realization dawning upon him. "That letter."

"_Yes,_" Hermione said. "_That_ letter. Now, was it from Ron and what did it say?"

"Oh… yeah, it was from him…"

"And what did it say?"

"Say?" Hermione rolled her eyes and snatched the letter from him. "Hey!"

"Oh hush!" she snapped, reading the letter over. After reading it, she nodded and looked up. "It doesn't seem like he's angry."

"Which is… definitely a good thing," Harry said.

"Yup, now let's check on our favorite Panthera before he hurts himself," Hermione said, heading off to Cole's playroom.

Harry followed him, wondering what the little Panthera was up to himself. When he got there, he saw Hermione looking up in adoration. Harry turned his head to see where she was looking and saw Cole hanging from a rope ladder attached to the ceiling happily like a little kid. Cole's mouth was grinning and his golden eyes lit up with laughter and concentration as he focused on keeping a grip on the high rope ladder. The boy squinted his eyes in slight concentration and tensed his arms, swinging his lower body up and trying to grip onto the rope with his feet. After stumbling and slipping a bit, he finally got it and grinned in triumph.

Just then, Cole turned his head and met his golden eyes on Harry's green ones. "MASTER!" he piped happily. "Hi!"

Harry smiled. "How'd you get up there so fast?" he asked, shouting slightly so that Cole could hear him.

Cole just smiled shyly and shrugged as best as he could, hanging from a rope. "Want me to come down?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to."

Cole frowned. "It's not trouble!" he cried out, pouting.

"It's fine. Just have fun. I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not a bother!" Cole said. "I'm coming down."

"No really, you don't have to!" Harry shouted. Cole rolled his eyes and let his feet slip from the rungs and hung from his hands. Harry's eyes widened. "_Cole!_ What are you doing?!"

Cole smiled and let go of the rungs, falling from the ceiling. Harry cried out in horror, thinking Cole was going to die, but the boy simply landed on his feet and smirked at him. After seeing Harry's face, his expression turned to one of confusion. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Harry stared at him for a few seconds and ran forward to hug him tightly. "I thought you were going to fall to your death!" Harry said worriedly, stroking Cole's soft black locks.

Cole frowned and looked ashamed. "I'm sorry Master… I didn't mean to worry you," he said, stroking the side of Harry's face. "Please forgive me."

"Yeah Cole," Harry said, still hugging him. "I do, but please don't do something like that again before telling me you can survive it first, okay?"

Cole nodded. "Sure Master," he muttered before wrapping his arms around Harry, returning the hug and burying his face into Harry's shoulder. "I really am sorry…" he muttered into his shoulder.

Harry smiled softly. "Don't worry about it cutey, as long as you don't do it again."

Cole froze and smiled up at him with his adoring golden eyes. Harry felt a tail curl around his back and realized he probably just said something to affect Cole enough to make his tail appear. "Uh… Cole?" Harry asked nervously.

"You just called me cutey," Cole said, smiling as if Harry just gave him his favorite candy.

Harry blushed. "Well… uh… you are cute…"

Cole smiled and purred at the response and wrapped his arms around Harry even tighter, his tail swishing back and forth in delight as he nuzzled Harry's cheek. Harry blushed even further and laughed nervously. Cole kissed Harry's shoulder gently and sighed happily, seemingly turning into a puddle of goo in his arms. "I like hugging you Master. You're comfy," Cole sighed and leaned against him.

"Uh… thanks," Harry said, enjoying the hug himself.

Cole withdrew from him slightly and pressed his forehead against Harry's, smiling. Harry smiled weakly at him, withdrawing a joyful look from Cole. "Mmmm… you have beautiful eyes," he purred.

Harry blushed for the umpteenth time that day. "Well… so do you," he muttered, looking into his glimmering golden eyes.

Cole purred in delight and wrapped his tail around Harry's waist. Harry froze, not really knowing what to do. "Uh… Some friends of mine are going to come over tomorrow. I have to get ready…"

"Anything I can do to help?" Cole asked.

"Uh… maybe you can pick out some rooms you think will be nice?"

Cole grinned and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Yes Master!" he chipped and ran off right away.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at Harry. "I thought you were going to wait Harry…."

Harry looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Uh… yeah… it's a lot harder than I thought it would be… It's like…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's part of the Panthera/Master bond. It makes the two feel… attracted to each other."

"It's not that I don't think he's absolutely adorable," Harry said. "I just want to get to know him better first is all…"

"Well then," Hermione said. "You better get to know him quickly then because the physical intimacy between you is definitely going to lead to something soon…"


End file.
